This I Believe

This I Believe

Thesis: Family doesn’t have to be blood

What do you think about when you hear the word (family)? Friendship, Fun, Caring, Standing together in times of need, Laughing together, Crying together, leaning on each other. Loving one another. These and so many more make up and describe the word Family. The Mother and Father who conceived you; The children of your parents, the siblings of your parents (Brothers/Sisters; Aunts/Uncles). That is a family but it’s not the type of family that I’m talking about.

I believe that family doesn’t have to be blood. Having a person or people supporting you, being there in times of need and times of troubles, that’s family. Someone you can count on, someone you can talk to, joke around with, cry with, laugh with, play around, to love and cherish with all your heart, to stand together in times of need, stand strong no matter what obstacles may come your way. Being a friend and a rock, no matter who you are.

Most people that I call family are not blood relatives. For example my little sister, Tamara, no relation, is still very much apart of my family. We talk to each other almost daily via email, laughing together as well as crying together. We ride together and we’ll die together. We are inseparable for life. Most importantly, even though we’re a little less than 1,000 miles apart, we’re still there for each other in our hearts and souls. We carry each other no matter what because we’ll always remember each other in our hearts. We can pretend that we are right in the same room with each other even when we know we’re not near one another. We can love each other through hardships even when we’re mad or sad. We can talk about nothing forever and stand up for each other no matter how many hills, and mountains are keeping us physically apart. We know deep down that we may not be blood relatives, but we’re still sisters, we’re still Family.

Another example I can give is my pastor, Sterling Lands II. My family may be going through trials but he’s always behind each of us one hundred percent. He’s been like a father to me even when my real father abandoned me as a baby. Pastor Lands’ has always been there to help take care of my older brother, my mom, and me. He loves us no matter what our circumstances may be and in return, we love him no matter what his circumstances may be. He could take care of us even when we have no idea where things are coming from.

That’s what a family is. Family doesn’t necessarily have to be your blood relatives because blood doesn’t make you any more family then standing in a garage makes you Cadillac. Yeah, you may fuss, fight and argue, but as long as you can put aside your faults bitterness and tyrant attitudes to come together and love that person or those people, and stand in the time need and sorrow, that’s what makes you a family. Not by blood, but by heart.

When you think that you don’t have a family, think again. When you think that there’s no one around to love you, think again. It may not be birth parents or siblings but it could be someone out on the street. Someone who you never thought to look at twice or it could be your best friend. It can be anybody. But if you can find someone who is willing to love you no matter what, put aside their own selfness for you to care about you and to take care of you and to comfort and support you when you most need it whether you’re a country apart, a state apart, a street apart, or a room apart, that’s family and I believe that it doesn’t have to be blood.